ARCHIVES

 The Novato Live Well Network and the Novato Community Garden have been evolving over the past ten years.
​This page provides information and history prior to 2017.

NOVATO COMMUNITY GARDEN - OUR HISTORY

THE DREAM:

A community garden is a place where people can plant, grow, nurture, and harvest organic fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. A community garden is also a place where the community spirit can grow. It's a place where a diverse group of people can share, learn, teach, encourage and connect with each other and the land.


WHY A COMMUNITY GARDEN?

We are fortunate to live in Marin County, surrounded by open-space, Mediterranean-like weather, and fertile soil where we can grow our own food or purchase it from local farmers. Even with our abundance, nearly half of our residents in Novato live in multi-unit dwellings without land to garden. In addition, there are a growing number of residents who cannot afford to buy fresh produce to feed themselves or their families. A shrinking economy and rising unemployment are putting the squeeze on many of us. We urgently need to find new ways to access healthy and affordable produce.

COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL GARDENS:

Community and school gardens provide learning experiences in which our most basic connection to the earth and the land can be realized.

A report from UC Cooperative Extension: Marin County Community Garden Needs Assessment 2010, sums it up by stating:

"Community gardens have a multiplier effect in relation to improved social, environmental, cultural, nutritional, and financial components of neighborhoods and their residents."

"In closing, a number of community gardening needs, if addressed, will contribute to realizing the benefits community gardens can provide to Marin residents. We hope this report has not only verified some of these needs but encouraged ideas for how to meet these needs in the future. Community garden stakeholders and partners working together to implement these suggestions will improve the viability of current and future gardens in Marin County." 

CONTINUED:

Steve Kinsey says:

"This report shines brightly on Marin's community gardens, highlighting their social, health, and environmental benefits. It also identifies what is needed to expand the community garden experience to others in the County."

 Mary Jane Burke says:

“The report identifies critical needs in our community around garden access, education, and development, while highlighting invaluable feedback about how Marin’s youth are benefiting from their interaction in school gardens. This document will be very helpful in guiding future planning for programs related to community gardens across the county and its school districts.”

WE HAD A SITE, LOST A SITE AND GAINED A SITE:

The original Novato Community Garden site was planned for O'Hair Park on Novato Blvd, just past San Marin High School on the west side of Dog Bone Meadow Park.

The former Board of Directors put in countless hours to design and plan a magnificent garden on property adjacent to Dog Bone Meadows. The cost was steep - $250,000 but faith in the process was what allowed the community garden supporters to endure.

In 2016 plans for where to build the Novato Community Garden shifted due to several factors including the addition of new city council members, new city staff and new city management. These changes along with ongoing issues with  sharing and developing the O'Hair Park location with the Dog Bone Meadows Group led the garden to an entirely new location.

In July 2017 Novato City Council Members Denise Athas, Pam Drew, Pat Eklund, Josh Fryday, and Eric Lucan all voted unanimously to provide Novato Live Well Network with a new site on which to build Novato's first community garden.

The historic Lieb Property which is located at 1521 Hill Road across from the Margaret Todd Senior Center and the Hill Recreation Area became the garden's permanent home. The site is centrally placed within easy walking distance of many multi-family housing complexes as well as public transit. For decades the site was used for a free range chicken ranch, walnut farm and home to the Lieb family.
The Novato Community Garden is a project of  Novato Live Well Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.